India, Oct. 16 -- The Supreme Court's decision to uphold a Madras High Court verdict - scrapping a Tamil Nadu government order allowing individuals from backward classes and denotified communities to claim reservation after converting to Islam - might have limited immediate effect but it lays down crucial guardrails that will shape the contentious intersection of caste, faith and affirmative action. Making a clear distinction between the Hindu social order and the non-Hindu social order, the Court underscored three key aspects. First, while the top court has previously adjudicated on Scheduled Caste Christian conversions, this is a rare verdict connecting conversions and other backward classes - a far bigger chunk of both the reservation pie and the Indian population. Earlier this year, the top court held that conversion to Christianity and other religions results in the loss of SC status. The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and its1956 amendment - which explicitly restrict SC statusto Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists - provide a degree of clarity to the SC debate. For OBC communities, the absence of such an order makes their status more fluid. Two, the court's observation - that a person converting to a non-Hindu social order cannot claim backward class quota solely based on their pre-conversion status - requires more clarification on the nature of assessment that will be necessary. This is especially important given that several states have included a number of Muslim communities in their OBC groups; in some states, such as West Bengal, this has even led to legal trouble. Will the latest order make it more difficult for newer groups to be included? Three, the court might have drawn a line on the legal debate around backwardness and conversion, but the social debate is far from settled. The 2006 Rajinder Sachar committee underlined the social and economic vulnerabilities of large chunks of the Muslim community. The 2007 Ranganath Mishra commission recommended that SC status be made religion-neutral based on similar reasons. A 2008 National Minorities Commission report also found that Dalit converts to Christianity and Islam continue to endure economic deprivations, occupational segregation, and social isolation comparable to their Hindu brethren. Clearly, there appears to be some chasm between the legal status of affirmative action and conversions - both for backwards and Dalits - and the social realities of many who are unable to shake off their marginalisation even after changing their faith. A wider debate will help turn polarising positions towards more nuance....